Chapter 624: I Am Determined to Take This Position

"Truly a land of wealth, a place of prosperity!"

Stepping into the home of the Changguan Marquis, the moment one entered, a delicate and elegant fragrance rushed to meet them.

The place where Shen Yu appeared was right next to a pond clear enough to see the bottom, filled with pale pink lotus flowers, each one standing tall, graceful, and charming.

The courtyard beside the pond was planted with even more flowers, appearing like scattered stars from a distance. A gentle breeze blew toward this side, emitting waves of faint fragrance that made one feel refreshed upon smelling it.

Shen Yu had once obtained the "Hundred Herbs Classic" through a sign-in; it contained detailed records of the habits, effects, and even the mutual promotion and restraint of all kinds of rare flowers and herbs in this World.

He could clearly see that many of the flowers in that courtyard were rare and exotic, each one worth a fortune.

No wonder the fragrance was so intoxicating and invigorating. Being long nurtured by such floral scents could even have the miraculous effect of improving one's constitution and enhancing one's spirit.

It must be said, the Changguan Marquis was truly a big spender. Unfortunately, most of this was the fat and blood of the people, rather than wealth accumulated over generations.

Around the pond, the landscape was winding, with artificial mountains piled in layers and stone peaks that were exquisite, delicate, and slender. These artificial mountains and stone peaks were clearly the work of a master, with unique and brilliant craftsmanship.

It gave one a feeling of being solemn yet elegant, perfectly integrated with the surrounding scenery.

Above the pond, a thin layer of mist seemed to rise under the sunlight. For a moment, there was even a sense of being ethereal and immortal; it was truly beautiful.

The decorations inside the residence of the Changguan Marquis were exquisite and elegant, seemingly no different from other noble houses, but in reality, every single item was worth a thousand pieces of gold.

Back in the day, the ancestor of the Changguan Marquis fought on the battlefield, invincible, and was a man who cherished the common people, his loyalty filling the heavens and earth.

In the past, before the ancestor of the Changguan Marquis was enfeoffed as the Changguan Marquis, he once led three thousand old and weak soldiers to resist eighty thousand cavalrymen alone to cover the escape of a city's people, fighting to the death without retreating.

With those three thousand old and weak soldiers, he forcibly crushed the eighty thousand cavalrymen, becoming famous in one battle.

After this battle, the arrowheads removed from his body weighed over a dozen catties, and the scars on his body were countless; even he himself fell into a coma due to severe injuries.

Yet when he woke up, the first question he asked was whether the people of the entire city had escaped.

Unfortunately, his descendants were unworthy; by the time it reached this current Changguan Marquis, the family style had gradually soured, the house reputation was ruined, and they began to prey on the people and bully the good.

If the old Changguan Marquis knew his descendants were like this, he would likely take up a three-foot sword and come out to clean up the family himself.

From the intelligence provided by Liang Ruyue, this Changguan Marquis was not simple; at first, he was cautious in his plundering, but later his courage grew. Eventually, he even dared to embezzle disaster relief grain at will.

Yet for so many years, while many of his subordinates had been arrested for corruption and bribery, he alone remained standing.

There was no help for it; everyone knew he was not clean, but there was simply no direct evidence. Every time, someone would volunteer to take the blame, and it would never implicate him.

Precisely because there was no evidence, even Chen Xing, that Three-Dynasty Elder, could do nothing to him, only glaring at him in anger every time, helpless even though he hated him to the bone.

However, although he could not be taken down, removing his position to vent some anger was still possible.

More than ten years ago, when the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was still in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, Chen Xing had him stripped of all his posts.

Now, this Changguan Marquis was idling at home, drinking and making merry every day, living quite happily.

It was said that the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was over eighty years old this year, yet showed no signs of aging, and could still serve three women a night. A corrupt official living like this made one want to beat him up just hearing about it.

The intelligence from Liang Ruyue also lacked direct evidence to prove he was a massive embezzler, but it still placed him at the very top of the list.

The greed of the Changguan Marquis was practically common knowledge; even he himself sometimes admitted that he was indeed a corrupt official. But there was just no way to deal with him, as no decisive evidence could be found.

Afterward, if he denied it, he would just say it was a drunken joke; what could you do to him? You couldn't take down a dignified First Rank Marquis just because of a joke.

Even the Black-Clad Guard was at a loss for what to do with him; it had to be said that this old fellow really had some tricks up his sleeve.

"Marquis, come, let this subordinate toast you another cup!"

At this moment, the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was hosting guests at home, with dancing girls like orioles and swallows, each one charming and alluring.

The sound of strings and bamboo flutes drifted into his ears, actually making one feel refreshed; it was evident that the musical skill was already superb.

Inside the room, everyone was clinking glasses, all of them in high spirits, their eyes burning as they watched the dancing girls.

Who didn't know that the dancing girls in the Changguan Marquis's house were all raised from childhood, with thousands of outstanding young girls trained for over a decade, and finally, the most excellent few dozen were selected from them.

Truly one in a hundred, each one was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, not losing at all to ordinary young ladies of noble families.

At this moment, although the Changguan Marquis Mou Qing was over eighty years old, he looked no different from someone in their forties or fifties, and even his hair was only slightly gray.

At this time, his clothes were half-open, his behavior dissolute, and he lay half-reclined there, with two beautiful maids carefully serving him.

Holding a wine goblet in one hand, he looked at the crowd below with their burning eyes, a trace of disdain flashing in his own. If he didn't have use for these people, why would he bother dealing with this bunch of trash.

"If you colleagues are drunk, then why not let these dancing servants send you back later!"

"Many thanks, Marquis!" Hearing this, the people below all had joyful expressions; Mou Qing's meaning was self-evident—the dancing girls present would be divided among them, and from then on, they would be their women.

Although there was a possibility of being monitored, these girls were truly beautiful, and a bed of gentleness was always something one could not resist!

"Truly extravagant!" Shen Yu had already sensed the scene inside the room; calling it debauched and licentious was not an exaggeration at all.

Shen Yu had even seen a few of these people before; had the officials of the Ministry of Revenue become this brazen now?

"Marquis, this time the position of Minister of Revenue is yours for the taking; besides you, Marquis, who else can make up for the emptiness of the national treasury, and who else can support the court's finances!"

Between clinking glasses, some had already begun to flatter him. Chen Xing, Lord Chen, was bedridden with a serious illness, and the former Minister of Revenue had been attacked because of the empty treasury, and coupled with poor health, he had resigned to return to his hometown.

As a result, the position of Minister of Revenue was now vacant, and many people were eyeing this position, naturally including the Changguan Marquis before them.

If it weren't for this matter, these few items before him wouldn't be worth his effort to win over.

"That's right, that old fellow Chen Xing, relying on his high seniority, has been suppressing you, Marquis, for these past few years; it's truly detestable."

"In the past, when you, Marquis, were in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, when did the Ministry ever lack money? But look at now, money is lacking every few days, and there are deficits every few days; it's just because they are useless!"

"In my opinion, only you, Marquis, have the ability to turn the tide. This position of Minister of Revenue, besides you, Marquis, who else could sit in it!"

"Hahaha, come, drink!" With a loud laugh, Mou Qing did not answer, but instead raised his wine goblet to the crowd below, then drank it all in one gulp.

Even he felt that this position of Minister of Revenue was his for the taking.

In the vast court, how many people were there who had a way to make up for the treasury deficit and support the entire court's finances? And how many dared to oppose him?

This position, I am determined to take it; no one can stop me!